Kaleidoscope of Contradictions
by SouthernStars
Summary: Their relationship is a kaleidoscope of contradictions to everyone around them, including themselves. Oneshots chronicling the six months between 'Chemicals React' and 'Out Of My Element'.
1. Special

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own High School Musical or any related characters.**

**A/N: Randomly, while I was writing the next chapter to 'Out Of My Element', which should appear when it does, and I guess I had a brainstorm, those for me a rare. Anyway, hopefully you guys all have read 'Chemicals React' and are reading 'Out Of My Element', which will make this easier to understand. Because as you all know there is a six month difference between those two stories, I've decided that I'm going to do a series of one-shots as sort of a fill in for the six-months that you all missed. It'll range from their first date, to their first sleepover. Stuff like that, that you don't get to see during the stories. And I'll probably throw in a different characters point of view, just to keep it interesting. So enjoy!**

_**Special**_

Gabriella stared at herself in the mirror, wondering if she looked okay. Tilting her head to one side, she tugged the shirt she was wearing down slightly and bit her bottom lip. Maybe she should have gone for something different. Like a skirt instead of jeans, or a dress instead of both. Making a frustrated noise Gabriella spun from the mirror and flopped down onto her bed. Her mind ticking over, trying to figure out why she was so nervous, she'd slept on his lap, she'd seen him shirtless, she'd met his family, she'd told him she loved him _and_ she'd made out with him up against a locker. So, _why was she so nervous?_ It wasn't like it was the first time she was going to be alone with him. As soon as that thought passed through her mind, Gabriella's stomach churned. Sitting up, she took a deep breath, ignored her stomach and snatched up her phone which was sitting on her bedside table. Hitting Speed Dial 3 Gabriella prayed the person would pick up.

"Hey, haven't you left yet?" Taylor answered her phone and Gabriella breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"No." Gabriella replied and returned to the mirror, turning to make sure she still looked like she did three minutes ago. When she saw nothing was out of place, Gabriella perched on the edge of her bed, in full view of the clock.

"Do you know where you're going?" Taylor asked curiously and Gabriella sighed in annoyance.

"No." she said and could just see the grin on Taylor's face.

"Let me guess, you're nervous as hell?" Taylor asked and Gabriella rolled her eyes at her friends knowing tone and then thought that it was better to admit the truth then have Taylor try and coax it out of her.

"Yes." She admitted and then frowned as she heard Taylor burst into laughter.

"It's not that funny." Gabriella growled as Taylor calmed down.

"It is actually Gab. I mean, come on, you and Troy have been all over each other for the past two weeks. I don't get why you're nervous, I mean-" Gabriella cut her off as she heard a car pull up.

"He's here, oh God. He's here." Gabriella said and Taylor laughed again.

"Gabi, you've seen the man half-naked, you'll be able to handle anything he throws at you." Taylor said as Gabriella heard the doorbell ring.

"Right. I'll talk to you later Tay." Gabriella hung up without hearing Taylor's reply; she threw her phone down onto her bed and then looked at herself one last time in the mirror, before grabbing her jacket and running downstairs as the doorbell rang again.

"For God's sake Bolton, I heard the bell the first time." Gabriella snapped as she opened the door and came face to face with her boyfriend of two weeks who grinned down at her amusedly.

"Are you sure about that Montez? Because I'm fairly positive you were on the phone to Taylor when I pulled up." Troy said dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead. Gabriella ignored the kiss and glared at him, stepping out on the porch and shutting her door.

"I was not on the phone to Taylor, Bolton, and if I was, it was only because you're late." Gabriella snapped back and Troy tried to not to glower at her.

"Montez, if you'd been off the phone with Taylor, you would have gotten my message telling you I was going to be late." He shot back and Gabriella continued to glare at him.

"Maybe if you hadn't been late I wouldn't be on the phone." Gabriella snapped and for a moment they glared at each other and then Troy rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand and dragged her towards his car. Gabriella followed him without any complaint, the nervousness was back and this time she felt if she said anything she was going to throw up.

Troy glanced behind him when he didn't hear his girlfriend complain about being dragged towards the car. He wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with her and by the look on her face he could only guess that he was going to get attacked if he so much as asked. So he just grinned when her eyes flicked to meet his own gaze. She glowered at him for a moment before breaking down and smiling back at him.

"It's a miracle! Montez, you actually smiled at me!" Troy exclaimed unable to help himself, Gabriella poked her tongue out at him and Troy laughed.

"I swear you are twelve." He said as he let go of her hand and walked around to the driver's side of his car.

"And I swear you forgot to call me yesterday." Gabriella shot back and Troy laughed again before they both got into the car.

"Actually, I did, you were just asleep." Troy said and Gabriella stared at him as he started the car and backed out her driveway.

"I don't remember seeing a missed call on my phone." She said and Troy shrugged as he turned right.

"I didn't call your cell; I called your house phone. No-one picked up." He explained and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Bolton, I never answer the house phone. I told you that last week." Gabriella told him her voice sounded far away and Troy glanced at her, she was looking out the window and to say that her voice seemed far away seemed to be only saying half of it.

"Montez, how am I meant to remember what you said last week?" he asked and Gabriella turned her head and glared at him.

"Bolton, you generally remember the stuff I say so you can use it against me when we argue." She shot back and Troy grinned as he stopped at a traffic light.

"Very true. But some of the things you say don't actually matter." Troy said and Gabriella rolled her eyes at him.

"Sure they don't." she muttered and Troy chuckled. Gabriella turned back to look out the window and frowned. She had absolutely no idea where they were, turning back to Troy Gabriella opened her mouth to ask him, when she paused and studied him for a moment. He looked good, dressed in faded jeans and a light blue sweatshirt that made his blue eyes more intense, Gabriella could actually see why the female population put him on some godlike podium, even if it gave him a big ego.

"What are you staring at Montez?" Troy's voice broke through Gabriella's thoughts and she snapped back to reality and blushed.

"Nothing. Where are we going?" she asked and Troy shrugged. Now that she'd asked, _his_ nerves had set in. He wasn't exactly sure she was going to like it where they were going or what she was going to think. He knew her well enough to know that if she didn't like it, she was going to tell him and that would cause an argument and he didn't want what he was going to show her to evolve into an argument.

"You'll see when we get there." he replied and Gabriella groaned and Troy laughed, reaching for her hand he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it. Gabriella bit her lip as she watched him do it. It was the first time he had ever done something like that and……she liked it. Gabriella had honestly never thought that she could melt into a puddle when a guy did something as simple as kissing her hand, but now she wasn't so sure. Because as soon as his lips touched her hand, a blush graced her cheek and her eyes flicked downwards as a warm feeling spread from where his lips had touched.

"Troy……" Gabriella breathed and his eyes flicked over to her. She never said his actual name unless she was really, completely furious with him or she just forgot that referring to him as 'Bolton' was easier. Turning his attention back to the road, Troy enlaced their fingers and squeezed her hand tightly, before turning his attention back to the road.

Gabriella looked at their linked hands and fought down the nervous feeling that had surfaced again. She seriously did not understand why she was so nervous. Taylor was right; she'd seen him half-naked before, she'd been alone with him dozens of times _and_ she was in love with him, she shouldn't be nervous at all. And yet she was. Maybe it was because it was their first _official_ date. As Taylor had informed her the day before, the fact that she went to his house all the time did not mean that it was an actual _date_. It just proved that they were together. Something that everyone at school still found incredibly hard to believe, given their track record.

"We're here." Gabriella was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard Troy's voice and felt the car stop. She untangled her hand from Troy's and got out of the car.

Troy took a deep breath and got out of the car as well. He looked at Gabriella who was facing the building; confusion etched on her face and took a deep breath. The nerves that had disappeared in the car had surfaced again and this time they were a lot stronger then last time. Troy swallowed and then shook his head; it was his choice to bring her here……and if it made him nervous then he definitely did care about her the way he'd told Chad he did.

"Come on." He spoke and Gabriella's attention was drawn away from the worn down building in front of her to Troy, who wasn't actually looking at her, but just past her. She nodded and followed him as he began walking towards the building. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and took in a shaky breath as Troy yanked the door open and they slipped in.

The inside of the building was pitch black and Gabriella reached for Troy's hand, biting her lip. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark, it was the fact that she was in a strange building, _in_ the dark. Troy squeezed her hand reassuringly and Gabriella could tell that he was amused as she heard him flick a switch and light filled the building. She blinked in surprise at the rundown basketball court they were standing on.

"Um……" Gabriella was about to ask why they were there when she saw the look on Troy's face. She'd never seen him look like that. His eyes had darkened slightly and he seemed to be remembering something. Gently she slipped her hand from his hand and took a few steps out onto court looking around; Gabriella began to wonder why Troy had brought her here. This was definitely not where she expected him to take her for their first date. Turning back to him, Gabriella found that he was watching her. Opening her mouth Gabriella went to speak when Troy beat her to it.

"This is where I learnt how to play basketball." He said softly and Gabriella's mouth formed an 'o'. "I was around four, I think, when Dad brought me here, he handed me a basketball and, apparently, I threw it back at him with a little _too_ much force and gave him a black eye. That's when my fate to be a basketballer was decided. Dad said to Mom that if I could throw a basketball that hard at the age of four then I was destined for glory." Troy chuckled softly and Gabriella grinned slightly at his words.

"I still come here though. Between training, games, homework and you, I hardly get time anymore. But I do." Gabriella looked at Troy and suddenly realized how special this place was to him. The beginning of the rest of his life had begun here and even though he had graduated from playing on a rundown court with only his father, this court was always going to be what he came back to.

"Troy, this is……" Gabriella trailed off trying to think of words to express how amazed she felt that he would show her something like this.

"A stupid place to take you, I know, but-" Gabriella cut him off.

"No its not. It's not stupid. Troy, the fact that you think _I'm_ special enough to show me this place is…is amazing." Gabriella said quietly and he walked over to her. Gabriella looked up at him and Troy smiled.

"Why is it amazing?" he asked softly and Gabriella shrugged.

"Because I'm just the girl who argues with you, who ended up being your girlfriend. I'm not anything special." She said and Troy shook his head at her words.

"No you're not. You're the girl I fell in love with, who I _knew_ was special when you first opened your mouth and yelled at me." He said softly and Gabriella smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I always opened my mouth and yell at you though," she said sliding her arms around his neck.

"But when you did it with a clear conscience I knew you were special." He said and Gabriella blushed and looked at the ground. They stood their in silence and then a question floated into Gabriella's thoughts.

"How many other girls have you bought here?" she asked and Troy chuckled silently, Gabriella felt his body vibrate and pushed the back of his head.

"Sorry, I just had a feeling that you were going to ask that question." He said and Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Well? Are you going to answer me or not?" Gabriella asked and Troy went red and she looked at him curiously, Troy never blushed and if he did he was very good at hiding it.

"You're the only one. You're the only one special enough." He said quietly and Gabriella gazed at him in amazement.

"But……I-I thought you……didn't you……?" Gabriella stammered and Troy shook his head, his dirty blonde hair falling into his blue eyes which were demanding her reaction to the entire thing in full, not stammers or questions. Gabriella didn't know what to say. She was trying to comprehend the fact that he thought she was special. Trying to clear her thoughts Gabriella leaned up and kissed him, for a moment she wondered where this new, fragile side of their relationship had appeared from and didn't care as she felt him wind his hand through her hair.

"Troy, this is amazing." Gabriella breathed out when they broke apart. Troy grinned and Gabriella smiled at him.

"That's because you special Gab." He whispered before kissing her again, Gabriella smiled into the kiss and for the first time felt special enough to be where she was.

**A/N: I'm not sure that made sense but there you go. It didn't actually turn out the way I expected it to. I hope you like it and remember it's a series of one-shots so this isn't the first one.**


	2. Roses and Frangipanis

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own High School Musical or any related characters.**

**A/N: Okay, well I was bored and I thought this was kind of cute. Oh yeah, these aren't in chronological order I can't be bothered to do it like that. Also, these are probably going to be mostly fluff. And I have to apologize about the unintentional two week break. I was basically thrown from family to family during my Easter break, so I've got a lot to do. Sorry! By the way this is fluffy, maybe a little to fluffy. **

_**Roses and Frangipanis **_

She was absolutely furious with him. There was no other way to put it. He had pushed her too far. Just by taking her for granted. Just by treating her like an object. Just by treating her like something that could amuse him from time to time. Gabriella threw herself on to her bed and groaned. Yes she was furious at him, yes he had taken her for granted, yes he had treated her like an object and yes it felt like he'd only been talking to her for amusement……but was refusing to talk, look or even acknowledge him the best way to get him to apologize? Gabriella shook her head stubbornly as the doubt that had appeared a day ago began to gnaw at her. He was the one at fault, not her. He was the one that had blown up at her because she'd pointed out that he'd barely spoken to her all week, he should have realized that she was going to retaliate. Although Taylor had pointed out it probably wasn't wise to choose the silent treatment as a way of retaliation. This, now that Gabriella thought about it, had probably been a pretty good piece of advice, seeing as she and Troy hadn't spoken to each other in nearly a week. This meant that nothing had been resolved and, apart from being furious with him, she was now collapsing in tears every time she got home from school because of the fact that they weren't talking. Which, technically, was his fault because he was the one the pushed her over the edge.

"Gabriella you're going to be late for school!" Gabriella jumped when she heard her mother's voice. She frowned and then remembered that her mother wasn't leaving till later. With a groan, Gabriella got off her bed and grabbed her bag. Running downstairs she yelled goodbye to her mother and yanked open the front door and promptly stopped dead.

Lying on the doormat was a single red rose. Gabriella stared at it in astonishment; she had no idea where it had come from but was certain that it hadn't been there when her mother had gone out to get the mail. Bending down she picked it up. Staring down at it, Gabriella shut the door. It was a perfectly formed rose, the colour a deep, blood red and, as Gabriella sniffed it, it smelt amazing. Sighing with pleasure Gabriella began the walk to school. The rose clutched in her hand.

As she approached the school Gabriella suddenly wondered how the rose had ended up on her doorstep. She highly doubted that it had fallen out of the sky, almost as much as she doubted that her mother had placed it there. Gabriella suddenly hoped that the rose actually _was_ for her and not a surprise gift for her mother from her father, who had left earlier that morning. Gabriella sighed and walked up the steps to East High, turning the rose over in her hand absently. Walking through the doors she quickly made her way to her locker, which was where Taylor was waiting for her.

"Hey. What's with the rose?" Taylor asked when she saw the flower in her friend's hand. Gabriella looked at the flower and then at Taylor.

"I found it on my doormat this morning when I was leaving for school." She replied and didn't see the small look of shock that passed over Taylor's features; instead she was too busy staring into her locker.

"What's wrong Gab?" Taylor asked when she observed the look on her friend's face. Gabriella shook her head wordlessly and continued to stare into her locker. Sitting in her locker, on top of her books, was a single pink and white Frangipani. Reaching out to it, Gabriella picked it up and smelt it. It smelt absolutely gorgeous; with a smile she turned and showed Taylor the small, delicate flower.

"It's beautiful Gabi." Taylor said and Gabriella smiled, before frowning as she caught sight of Troy making his way down the hall. Taylor turned to see who Gabriella was glaring at and sighed when she saw Troy.

"You still haven't forgiven him?" she asked and Gabriella shrugged, turning back to her locker, she placed the two flowers in her locker and snatched up her book.

"No. Don't give me that look Taylor. You know how he was acting." Gabriella snapped at her friend and Taylor sighed.

"Yes. I do. But I don't think giving him the silent treatment is helping anything." She pointed out and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"It gets the point that I'm not happy with him across perfectly, wouldn't you say?" Gabriella asked sarcastically and Taylor sighed as Troy and Chad walked past them, Troy staring straight ahead pretending he hadn't heard or seen his girlfriend and Chad sending his own a quick smile.

"Yes. To everyone else." Taylor replied and Gabriella gave her a questioning look and Taylor sighed. "Gabriella, everyone knows you're not happy with Troy. That part was made obvious when you two had a screaming match in the hallway last week. But, everyone knows how unhappy you are _without_ Troy. It's the same with him." Taylor explained ever so gently and Gabriella glowered at her. Furious that she'd been able to figure out why she was so unhappy and that Taylor knew she collapsed in tears when she got home.

"Whatever. Lets just get to homeroom." She muttered shutting the locker door. Taylor sighed and followed her friend, wondering how long Gabriella's relationship with Troy was going to last if she kept it up.

Gabriella hugged her books to her chest as she walked into homeroom. Quickly, she walked past Troy's desk, ignoring the arrogant look he sent her and then stopped dead. Sitting on her desk was another single red rose. Perfectly formed as the other one had been and just as red. Trying to fight the smile that was slowly spreading across her face, Gabriella quickly picked up the rose and smelt it. It smelt like the other one had too. Slowly she put her books on her desk and slid into her chair, a dreamy look taking residence on her face as she stared at the rose in her hand, not noticing the blue eyes that were watching her and her reaction to the flower carefully.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Gabriella was smiling as she walked into the cafeteria for lunch. She wasn't sure how, but every time she walked into one of her classes, sitting on the desk that she usually sat at was either a blood red rose or a pink and white frangipani. It was the same when she opened her locker. Sitting on top of her books was always a flower. Always alternating and always as perfect as the last one that she'd received. She couldn't be bothered to figure out who was leaving her the flowers and why. All that she knew was that it felt absolutely wonderful when she walked into a classroom and sitting on her desk was a gorgeous flower.

"So, figured out who the flowers are from yet?" Taylor asked and Gabriella shook her head. Taylor rolled her eyes. It was very obvious who the flowers were from and why they were appearing, but Taylor had learnt very early on in their friendship that though a genius at times, Gabriella could be quite dense when she wanted to be, now was absolutely no exception.

"How was your date last night?" Gabriella suddenly asked and Taylor smiled, Gabriella's relationship may not be thriving but hers certainly was.

As Taylor told her about the date, Gabriella's eyes wandered around the cafeteria and landed on Troy. For a moment, she wished that he would get up from his table, stroll over to her and kiss her in front of everyone. The way he had only a week ago. Abruptly, she shook her head and turned away from him. She was mad at him and thinking about things like that, made her determination to be furious with him wane.

Smiling at Taylor, the two girls maneuvered their way through the usual crowd of students to their table. Gabriella's smile widened when she saw the now familiar pink and white frangipani waiting for her. Sliding into her seat, Gabriella picked up the flower and fingered the stem. Suddenly feeling eyes on her she looked up and met the astonishing blue eyes that belonged to her boyfriend. They twinkled at her for a moment, that twinkle that was both arrogant and charming. The twinkle that Gabriella knew could make her melt in a matter of seconds. Almost as soon as she'd noticed him looking at her, he'd looked away and Gabriella sighed. Suddenly realizing that she really did miss Troy.

"Let me guess, you've just gone from angry to dejected." Taylor said when she saw the look on Gabriella's face.

"I guess." She said and Taylor rolled her eyes. Gabriella ignored Taylor and looked at the flower in her hand. Suddenly wishing that it was her boyfriend who was leaving the flowers for her and not someone she didn't know.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Gabriella stared blankly at the test in front of her. It was done. She hadn't even needed to think about it, it was one of those test where you either knew your subject matter or you had no idea and guessed. Sighing she cast her gaze around the room and noticed that most of the class was finished as well. Glancing down, her eyes fell on the frangipani that had been waiting for her when she'd stepped into the room. Smiling softly, she touched one of the petals and sighed. Wishing that Troy was the one leaving her the flowers.

A sudden knock on the door roused the teacher and nearly every nearly asleep student. Gabriella looked up from her intent study of the flower and her mouth dropped open in complete shock.

"Gabriella Montez?" The woman asked, smiling as Gabriella stood up, still staring at the bouquet of red roses and pink and white frangipani's that the woman held.

"That's me." She said and the woman smiled as she handed the bouquet to Gabriella, who was unaware of all the death glares that every girl in the room was sending her. Gabriella stared down at the bouquet and breathed in the smell of the flowers.

"Thank you." Gabriella said softly and the lady smiled as Gabriella walked back to her desk, still staring at the gorgeous bouquet she held. Sitting down, Gabriella finally noticed a small white envelope that was attached to the bouquet. Picking it up, she opened it and pulled out the card. Biting her lip Gabriella opened the card.

_Gabi,_

_I can't take you for granted, _

_cause I know you could be gone tomorrow._

_You're as amusing as they come, _

_Until you tilt your head and your eyes grow dark._

_You're not an object,_

_You're exquisitely beautiful._

_I'm sorry Brie._

_Troy _

Gabriella reread the note and bit her lip. Brie. He only called her that when they were alone together in the dark. Just reading that name was enough to assure her he really _was_ sorry. Gabriella looked at the bouquet and then thought back to all the flowers that she'd received and realized that it had been him all along. He knew her timetable backward, he knew when she left the house, he knew when she arrived at school, he just knew it. Hearing the bell ring Gabriella took a deep breath. Gathering her books and the bouquet, Gabriella handed in her test and slipped out the door.

As quickly as she could she deposited her books and flowers in her locker and weaved her way through the crowd of students towards Troy's locker. Praying that he hadn't gone to training yet. She caught sight of his locker and saw no-one there and groaned. He moved way too quickly for her. Biting her lip again, Gabriella turned quickly and headed for the gym.

Walking as quickly and as silently as she could, Gabriella slipped past the boys locker rooms until she found the one she was looking for. Sighing in relief when she discovered that Troy was alone, Gabriella became visible to her boyfriend. She swallowed hard when she discovered he was shirtless, unsure whether it was to his advantage or hers.

"Hey." Troy said quietly, knowing how much trouble they were going to get in if anyone found them together.

"Hey." Gabriella replied stepping closer to him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Gabriella didn't reply, instead, for the first time in nearly a week, she touched him. She traced his jaw line ever so gently and tried not to drown in his eyes.

Troy looked at his girlfriend and stood up slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. Gabriella's hand slipped from his face and her arms encircled his waist. Troy's own hands framed her face and Gabriella smiled slightly when his thumb brushed over her lips softly.

"I could tell you how mad I was at you last week. But I don't want to." She said and Troy grinned.

"I could tell you how furious I was at you last week. But I don't want to either." He replied and Gabriella smiled. Before she could comprehend what was happening Troy leaned down and captured her mouth with his own. Almost instantly, Gabriella lost herself in the kiss, knowing how much she had missed kissing him over the last week and was completely unaware of the subtle moan that she made when Troy deepened the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth and claiming the well known territory.

Finally they pulled away from each other. Both desperately needing the air. Troy rested his forehead against hers and breathed heavily.

"So am I forgiven?" he asked and Gabriella nodded wordlessly, her mind still reeling from the kiss.

"Red roses and pink and white frangipani's are your favorites right?" He asked again, hoping that he had gotten the flowers right. Gabriella nodded again.

"Uh-huh. Roses and frangipani's are my favorites." She replied before he kissed her again. Glad that roses and frangipani's existed.

**A/N: Ouch. That really didn't turn out the way I expected. It seems really messy and disorientated to me. Really messy and disorientated. Ah well, I'm trying to get back into it. I'm working on the new chapter for 'Out Of My Element' so hopefully that'll be up soon. Anyway, I got annoyed at how dense Gabriella was. Oh well, I hope you guys liked it.**


	3. All the Pieces of You

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own High School Musical or any related characters.**

**A/N: Okay, so I've wanted to write this for a while and well I like it. I hope you all do too. **

_**All the Pieces of You**_

Gabriella stared at her locker and sighed. Maybe she was tired, maybe she just didn't want to be at school or maybe she was just plain confused. Either way, it didn't mean that she wanted to be at school, because she didn't. She would rather be at home, curled up on her bed, eating chocolate and watching sad depressing movies that she knew she hated almost as much as _he_ did. Him, that was the reason that she didn't want to be at school, that was the reason that she was tired and that was definitely the reason that she was confused. Two months. They'd been together for two months and she had no idea who he was. Yes, she knew that he played basketball, was completely devoted to his little sister and was probably the moodiest person she had ever met but that was it. And that's what confused her. He knew everything about her, he knew exactly what made her tick, he knew that she preferred comedies over romances, he knew she preferred classics authors over contemporary authors, he knew the scar on her hip was from where she'd slammed into a rock when she'd been surfing when she was five, he knew that she preferred to sleep with her head on his shoulder then resting on the pillow. God, he knew nearly _everything_ about her. And yet, what she knew about him was what nearly everyone else in the school knew about him. What made it worse was that he changed so quickly, she was left feeling as if the floor had been yanked out from underneath her.

"Hey." Gabriella jumped when she heard Chad's voice. Her eyes snapped to look at him and she mustered a faint smile.

"Hey Chad. What's up?" She asked quietly and Chad shrugged noncommittally as Gabriella opened her locker and reached in, searching for her biology book.

"Not much, I was thinking that maybe you and me could walk to biology and you could tell me exactly what were doing in biology." Chad said and Gabriella grinned at him, it was so like Chad to ask her instead of Taylor.

"Too scared to ask Tay?" She asked and Chad grinned sheepishly as Gabriella shut her locker door and looked at him, amused.

"A little bit." He replied and Gabriella shook her head at him and laughed.

"Oh Chad, sometimes I have to wonder how you and Troy are friends." She said and Chad just shrugged as the two began to weave their way in and out of students, towards their biology room. Chad spun the ever present basketball on his finger and looked at Troy's girlfriend.

"Just like everyone else wonders how you and Troy are together?" Chad replied, swinging a friendly arm around Gabriella's shoulders. Gabriella sent him a glare and Chad just shrugged and grinned at her.

"What? Me and Troy being best friends is more believable then you and Troy being together." Chad said and Gabriella elbowed him in the ribs. His words brought back the thoughts from earlier and Gabriella frowned.

"Yeah, you know him better then I do." Gabriella agreed and Chad looked at Gabriella, surprised by her wistful tone of voice.

"No I don't," Chad started to protest and then backed down when Gabriella sent him a look. "Okay, maybe I do. But that's only because I've known him since kindergarten." He conceded and Gabriella shrugged.

"True. But I don't know anything about Troy, Chad! Seriously, I know he likes basketball; he's totally devoted to Mia and he's moody. That's it! Honestly, you'd think I'd know more." Gabriella said and Chad chuckled as he looked at Gabriella's frustrated face. Troy was certainly playing his cards right with this one.

"Gabriella. I'm going to be straight and serious with you, no I'm not on drugs, nor have I been drinking," he said when he saw the look on Gabriella's face. "But, Troy's hard to get to know. Trust me on this one Montez, there are many pieces to Troy Bolton and you can't expect to get to know all those pieces in two months." Chad continued and saw the look on Gabriella's face, he sighed and stopped walking.

"Chad. That still doesn't explain the fact that every time his mood changes I'm left feeling like the floors been yanked out from underneath me." Gabriella sighed turning to look at him. Although Taylor was her best friend and she told her nearly everything, Gabriella always found something refreshing when she spoke to Chad and told him things that Taylor dismissed as simple or insignificant. Chad was one of those people who thought everything mattered, whether simple or insignificant, or important and complex.

"Yeah it does. Gabriella, you're always gonna feel like that when you're around Troy. Number one, because you love him and number two, Troy will always be contradictory and he will always change, which will always leave you feeling like the floors been yanked out from under your feet." Chad said, sounding oddly gentle. Gabriella looked at him in surprise. She'd never heard Chad use that tone before and she'd never here him say something so serious before. It was as comforting as it was strange and she smiled at him.

"Thanks Chad. I needed to hear something like that." She said smiling softly and Chad just smiled and pulled her into a warm hug. Gabriella sighed and hugged him back, they held that position for a moment, before Chad coughed and pulled back. Gabriella laughed at the look on Chad's face and he just shrugged awkwardly.

"Glad I can help. Now you can help me and tell me exactly what were doing in biology. Because I seem to fall asleep every time Mrs what's-her-name opens her mouth." He said and Gabriella burst into laughter.

"Chad, our teacher's male, not female." Gabriella laughed even harder when Chad shot her a horrified expression, which relaxed into a very casual 'I don't care' expression.

"Explains why everyone laughs at me when I answer a question." He said and Gabriella just shook her head at him as they continued towards their classroom. His arm still flung casually around her shoulders.

HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM

"You do realize what everyone's saying about you and my best friend right?" Gabriella turned, frowning, to look at Troy. Leaning up she managed to plant a kiss on his jaw line, before turning back to her locker.

"Yep. Should I care that they're all saying that I'm cheating on you with Chad?" She asked and finally found the book that she was looking for. Shutting her locker door, Gabriella turned back to Troy and leaned against the locker. She looked up at him and caught the hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Montez, I have a serious question, are you cheating on me with my best friend?" Troy's question caused the hallway to stop. Gabriella sighed dramatically; she made a huge show of putting her books down and closing her locker door. Turning to Troy, she took both his hands in her own and looked up at him.

"Oh Troy, I'm so sorry. Chad and I, we've been trying to tell you for so long," Troy eyes told her to keep going as Gabriella gave a loud sniff and let a tear fall down her cheek. "It just happened. One day we were friends and the next, his lips seemed so soft and kissable, he knew just where to hold me. We wanted to tell you we really did. But we just couldn't bear to-" Troy cut her off. His eyes telling her that she'd done a good job.

"Don't Montez. How could you do this to me? To us? I thought you loved me, I thought that we were perfect for each other. How could you do this to me, with my best friend none the less? What did I do?" He asked the pain in his voice obvious. They both glanced at the occupants of the hallway, who were all listening to the conversation intently.

"Troy, it wasn't you. I swear to you. I just fell out of love with you so quickly and then I seemed to see Chad for the first time and it was amazing." Gabriella replied sadly, another tear falling down her cheek as she let go of Troy's hands. He stared at her.

"What's happenin' peoples!?" Chad's loud voice rang out as he slung an arm around Troy's shoulders. Causing whispers to break out around the hall. Chad looked at Gabriella questionably, who looked at Troy, who looked at Chad before looking back at his girlfriend. Then both Troy and Gabriella turned to the crowd and burst into laughter. Chad stepped back from the two of them and raised his eyebrows as Gabriella turned to Troy and clutched his shirt helplessly as she buried her face in his chest. Troy leaned against the locker, his arms wrapping around Gabriella as he laughed as helplessly as she was.

"Did I do something?" Chad asked still utterly confused as Gabriella and Troy calmed down slightly. Seeing the confused look on Chad's face caused both of them to collapse in peals of laughter again. Gabriella still leaning on Troy for support and Troy leaning against the locker for support.

"No Chad. It wasn't you." Gabriella gasped, wiping away the last of her tears as she turned away from Troy and leaned backwards into his chest. Troy kissed the side of her head and then looked at his best friend, who was still utterly confused.

"Then what was it?" Chad asked curiously and both Troy and Gabriella looked at the hallway and then back at each other.

"Uh, Gabi and I may have put on a little drama performance for everyone." Troy replied and Gabriella giggled a bit as everyone in the hallway started to talk again, as if nothing had ever happened before.

"And what was this drama performance about?" Chad inquired curiously as Taylor walked up. Gabriella glanced at Troy; he shrugged and then nodded, indicating that she could tell Chad.

"Oh no Bolton, I'm not telling him. He's your best friend." She said and Troy raised his eyebrows at her.

"But you're the one who didn't care." He pointed out and Gabriella pulled away from him and spun around. Her mouth opened and then stopped, because his eyes had changed. The light blue that had been there only moments before had darkened considerably and Gabriella found herself biting her lip and stepping away from him. Suddenly feeling off-balance, Gabriella swallowed hard and searched for the retort that had been there only seconds before.

"But you're the one that started it." Gabriella stuttered and ignored the surprised look on Taylor's face and the knowing look on Chad's. Troy didn't say anything. Instead he shrugged and stepped away from the locker and closer to Gabriella. Who stared up at him and tried not to show that anything was wrong as he brought his lips to her ear, close but not quite touching. Something he knew drove her insane.

"I know, but you're the one that was cheating." He whispered and Gabriella's mouth dropped open as he walked off, she spun around and watched him weave expertly through the mass of students, never once looking back.

"Gabi?" Taylor asked curiously and Gabriella turned back to Taylor and Chad and looked directly at Chad.

"He did it again!" She yelled at him and Chad shrugged in a manner very much like his best friend and then cowered under Gabriella's ferocious glare.

"Did what again?" Taylor asked and Chad looked at his girlfriend and then back at Gabriella, who glared at him. Deciding that he might follow his best friends lead, Chad raised his hand in surrender; while the other clutched his basketball in front of his like it was a shield and backed away slowly.

"He changed! That's what he did, one second he's laughing, the next he was, I don't know, in serious mode or something." Gabriella exclaimed and Chad continued walking away.

"Hey Gabs?" Chad suddenly called out and Gabriella turned to him, giving him her attention. "Remember, many pieces and many moods." He said and Gabriella nodded and a hint of a smile appeared on her face.

"Thanks Chad." She replied and he just nodded.

"Many pieces and many moods? What on earth is Chad talking about?" Taylor asked and Gabriella just looked at Taylor and shook her head.

"Just something we talked about earlier." Gabriella replied and Taylor decided to let it go, seeing the look on Gabriella's, Taylor could tell that it involved Troy and Gabriella wasn't willing to talk about it. Gabriella sighed and suddenly wished that Troy Bolton had a user's manual.

HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM

Gabriella stared up at the full moon, wanting herself to be completely captivated by the moon and the gorgeously warm night that was surrounding her. Instead, she was frustrated and confused and the only thing she wanted was to know something about Troy that no-one else did. After the little encounter in the hallway, Gabriella had seen him all of twice and both times they'd been in class and both times he'd been completely elusive when she'd asked him a question, his elusiveness had led to an argument and Gabriella had spent the rest of the day refusing to acknowledge him. This only increased her frustration because she wasn't talking to him, which meant that she wasn't going to find out anything about him because she was completely ignoring him.

"And you're sitting on the roof at nine-thirty at night because?" Troy's voice barely caused Gabriella to jump.

"Because I am." She replied shortly and Troy looked up at her. Shrugging he lifted himself up onto the railing of her balcony, before grabbing a tree branch and managing to lift himself up onto the roof of her house. Stepping carefully, Troy made his way up to where his girlfriend sat and lowered himself down next to her.

"So Montez, what's up?" He asked and Gabriella looked at him, before rubbing a hand over her eyes.

"You. You're what's up." Gabriella said bluntly and Troy blinked, he hadn't expected her to be so blunt.

"Okay. How can I be the one that's up?" He asked and Gabriella groaned. God, he did this every time and she hated it, she wanted to kill him for acting like he had no idea why she had said what she had said, almost as much as she wanted to kiss him for managing to look so adorably cute in the moonlight.

"Troy, you are driving me completely and utterly insane. I don't get you! I really don't! One second you're laughing and the next you're so serious and I'm left feeling like the floors been yanked out from underneath me and you have absolutely no idea how much I hate that!" Gabriella exclaimed and Troy stared at her with raised eyebrows. As if waiting for something more to come out of her mouth.

"Anything else?" He inquired and Gabriella groaned. "Montez, you've really got to remember that I can read you better then any other person you know." He sighed and Gabriella suddenly wished that she wasn't on the roof of her house. It would have made it a lot easier for her to stand up and walk away from him.

"Yes I remember that Bolton." Gabriella snapped at him and Troy raised his eyebrows at her again.

"And stop doing that! God Troy, you are so frustrating!" With that Gabriella stood up and carefully made her way down to the tree branch that Troy had used to hoist himself up onto the roof. With fluidity that surprised Troy, she lowered herself back down onto her balcony and then stormed into her room.

With a sigh, he decided to follow her. Walking down the room, Troy looked down and estimated the distance between the roof and her balcony. Deciding that he could jump it with the help of a tree branch or her railing, Troy jumped and managed to land without breaking anything. Casually he strolled into her room and gazed at her. Her back was too him and he watched as she yanked off the shirt she was wearing, exposing her back to him and yanked on her pajama shirt.

"I know I'm frustrating Montez, you don't need to remind me." Troy said and Gabriella spun around.

"But you don't even get _why_ I'm frustrated with you!" She yelled at him and Troy shoved his hands in his pockets, noting somewhere in the back of his mind that she was wearing one of his shirts.

"You got me Montez. Why are you frustrated with me?" He said and Gabriella raised a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead and then opened her eyes to look at him.

"Because I don't know anything about you! I know nothing! Zilch, Troy! And that's what frustrates me! You know nearly _everything_ about me! And I still don't know what you're favorite colour is! Do you have any idea how horrible it is when I can't even tell my mother what my boyfriend's favorite food is?" Gabriella burst out and Troy stared at her. He really hadn't been expecting that. He hadn't been that elusive, he was almost positive he hadn't been that elusive.

Gabriella looked at him, tears of frustration in her eyes. For the first time since knowing him, Troy seemed completely and utterly lost for words and she wasn't much better. Every time she tried to think of something that could explain why she had just blown up on him, her mind drew a blank and all she could do was stand there and stare at him. His eyes looked at her clouded and unreadable.

"What do you want to know?" Troy asked quietly and Gabriella suddenly looked away from him her mind going into overdrive as she tried to think of something. The silence in the room deafening as Gabriella thought. She looked over at him, thoughtfully and his eyes looked at her. Daring her to ask anything.

"Tell me a secret. Tell me something that nobody else knows. Tell me something that Chad never had an inkling about; tell me something that you have only ever kept to yourself." She said softly and Troy looked at her. Very slowly Troy moved towards her as he racked his brains for something to tell her. Gabriella looked up at him, her eyes begging him to tell her something to tell her anything. Taking his hand out of his pocket, Troy reached up and took a few strands of her hair in between his thumb and forefinger and ran it down the length.

"I noticed you before we were assigned assignment partners." He said softly and Gabriella stared up at him, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "It's true. I used to watch you in class, I was never caught out for it because I was careful enough not to be and I never let you know because I knew you hated me or the idea of me at the very least. But I remember the first time I noticed you. It was your first day at East High, you walked into Miss Darbus' room and looked nervous," reaching up again, Troy ran his fingers down the length of her hair again and continued. "You were wearing jeans, a white singlet top and a green blazer. You wore a bracelet here," lifting her hand with his free hand, Troy kissed her wrist as Gabriella gazed at him. "When you walked in I was talking to Jason and I remember I tuned out just to watch you. You slipped in quietly and that was what caught my attention. You didn't announce yourself; you didn't do anything, just walked in and hoped that no-one would notice you." Troy said quietly and Gabriella continued to stare at him. At complete loss for words. Another piece of Troy Bolton had just presented itself and she didn't know what to do with it.

"I thought you hated me." She said softly and Troy shook his head.

"No, when we were assigned partners, I buried whatever attraction I had for you under whatever I was feeling for you whenever we argued. Which became harder and harder to do because the more I got to know you the more attractive you became." Troy said softly and Gabriella blushed slightly as he said that. "Nobody else knows that. Nobody else knows that I used to watch you; nobody else knows that I noticed you on your first day at East High. Nobody else knows I found you attractive the moment you walked into East High. That's something that nobody knows but you." Troy said softly and Gabriella smiled at him. Leaning up Gabriella kissed him softly, his mouth felt soft and firm against hers. Sighing, she broke away from him and buried her face in his chest.

"There are so many pieces to you Troy Bolton," Gabriella murmured her head lifting from his chest to look at him. "There are so many moods, so many secrets, so many pieces and I'm so glad you told me that." She said and Troy looked at her curiously.

"Why?" He inquired curiously.

"Because I know that all the pieces of you will come together when they come together and I'll find out everything I want to know when that happens." Gabriella replied and Troy grinned and kissed her again before wrapping her in a hug. Gabriella closed her eyes and snuggled into him, loving the fact that she was snuggling into all the pieces of Troy Bolton.

**A/N: Okay, so the main theme behind that was that Gabriella doesn't know anything about Troy and wants to know something special, that and whenever his mood changes she doesn't know what to do.**


End file.
